Anyone get a chance to check out Elf Power when they were in town in late May? How about the new album "Creatures". Pretty good but kind of like they were going through the motions. Sounded very similar to "Winter is Coming". I think the Elephant 6 is loosing focus with so many bands.

I didn't even know E6 was still a functioning collective. I know SF popsters Beulah used to be part of Elephant 6, but if memory serves, there's no reference to Elephant 6 in the credits of their last, brilliant album "The Coast Is Never Clear." Or was I just not paying attention? Also, some guy was adamant at a party that Elephant 6 is a label. I thought it was a looser conglomeration than that. Can someone shed some light?

this is my limited understanding (please correct me if i'm incorrect ). elepahnt 6 records is what the collective used when olivia tremor control and neutral milk hotel were making tapes. i'm assumeing it was probably diy in someones grage or basement when they were recording in rouston, la. denver, co. or athens, ga. they're ever evolving bands, and locations make it hard to really figure out what is goin on. also i think that the collective is going strong but there are so many side projects and collaborations that they may be losing focus. i wish at least that sunshine fix bill doss would put his focus back on olivia tremor control and put out a follow up to black foliage

i have been trying to unravel the E6 mystery for some time now. it is just a group of friends that began in ruston, LA and spread and grew from there. there are several records released under the moniker of E6, but i think it was just a funny referenece for a group of friends that the group used to confuse people in kind of the same way the "grunge" people did when seattle got famous. you know, on Hype, when all the major media people come to seattle to find out about grunge and interview people and everyboy just smart-assedly tells them that 'oh we dress like this' or 'oh we say this and that'. i think E6 is the same. just a group of friends, not a big deal, but everybody feels the need to have some sort of definitive answer to the E6 mystery and goes crazy trying to define it.

That guy at the party who thought that Elephant 6 is a label is apparently right- Elephant 6 is listed as a label on Parasol Mail Order.

Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, (Olivia Tremor Control) and Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) are supposedly the guys from Ruston, LA who founded the collective back I dont know when. An amazing number of bands are in it now though, eh?

But is Elephant 6's best work behind them? Everyone talks about how great In the Aeroplane, Over the Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel) and Black Foliage (Olivia Tremor Control) are - they might be unreachable heights for follow-ups.

Of Montreal is my personal favorite though, really sunny and warm and playful. My Athens buddy is fully to blame for getting me into them. I'm hopeful that the new Of Montreal record coming out soon (purportedly written to be more accessible) gets Elephant 6 some new attention and new fans.